Biotic Regulation: Topics

Genetics and evolution in the biotic regulation concept

One of the main postulates of modern biology is the statement that the driving force of evolution is the genetic adaptation of
biological species to changing environmental conditions. This statement contradicts the biotic regulation theory in several ways.
(Indeed, if one can adapt to an environmental change, why should one spend efforts on preventing the environment from random changes?)
Thus, the available data on genetic polymorphism and evolutionary changes must be given a coherent quantitative explanation
compatible with the biotic regulation theory.

Our analysis shows that the observed genetic polymorphism cannot be consistently interpreted as an adaptive potential of a species
(see here and here on the conflict between the biotic regulation
and genetic adaptation concepts). Rather, it represents a permissible level of erosion of the meaningful genetic information of species.
Instead of being continuously changing in a certain direction, the genetic information of a species fluctuates randomly around the normal
genome during the whole period of the species' existence. The magnitude of fluctuations is determined by the sensitivity limit
of natural selection.

If the intraspecific genetic polymorphism represented the adaptive potential of a species,
one could expect that species consisting of many individuals (e.g. bacteria with characteristic population density of a million per
cubic millilitre) would evolve faster than species with a small number of individuals (e.g. mammals, 1 ind. per square km).
In simple words, it seems easier to find an organism well fitted to a new environment if you choose among billions, rather than
among a few, individuals. It is easy to calculate that the rate of speciation would differ by ten and more orders of magnitude among small
numerous and large non-numerous organisms. In reality, speciation rate does not depend on population numbers. How does evolution occur then?

Papers

Makarieva A.M., Gorshkov V.G. (2004) On the dependence of speciation rates on species abundance and characteristic population size. Journal of Biosciences, 29, 119-128. Abstract. Copyright Indian Academy of Sciences.